Cool Wall: 1980-2003 Fiat Panda

[Snikle]

Poll 1522: 1980-2003 Fiat Panda nominated by @Neddo

Body Style: 3 door hatchback/van/soft top
Engine: 652cc I2, 769-999cc I4, 1301cc I4 diesel, DC electric engines
Power: 29-53 hp for petrol, 36 hp for diesel, 18-24 hp for electric
Torque: 26 lb-ft for Elettra, for ICE its 42-65 lb ft
Weight: 700-810 kg, Electric is around 1150 kg
Transmission: 4 and 5 speed manual, CVT
Drivetrain: FF or AWD

Spoiler: Additional Pictures

 

[Snikle]

It's not ugly but it's not pretty either. Just a little Fiat, nothing too special, I guess it's meh.

 

[JohnBM01]

When Gran Turismo 4 was in development (and when I was young on GTPlanet), there were many people who wanted Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, the like. One person, however, wanted a 1990s FIAT Panda. Did we get it in GT4? YES! This is a "who cares?" kind of car to a lot of people. However, I think it's pretty funky and quirky. Me likey. I think pandas are cool animals, and I'll call Cool on this Panda.

 

[ZGBox]

It's my favourite car ever (and I'm not kidding), it is one of Italy's most important cars; it helped mobilize the working class since the '80s and it's so cleverly designed!
I am so biased about it, my family had 4, we loved each and every one of them and it sparked my passion for charming, economical cars.
Now it's considered a cult classic, we love it almost as much as the original 500 and I guarantee that everyone owned at least one of them in the past remembers them fondly and many of them are still driven today, it's spare parts are dirt cheap and so simple to repair and it has character, also a lot of choice regarding engines and even an electric version!
It's a car so influencial to me and to many others that I can't give it a score lower than Cool on this one.

 

[Centroid]

The Panda and I have had a chequered history.

I first saw one, when I on a school trip to France and quite admired its minimalism, even if such boxy-ness was rapidly going out of style. The local (UK) car magazines were running features about its cost saving measures, such as the flat windscreen, single wiper and very simple seats. Only for it be launched on the UK market and actually only being a little bit cheaper than the base models of cars like the Fiesta and Metro. Worse still, Fiat still made the 126, which was significantly cheaper.

Now as the Panda went along, they did improve things. Ditching the leaf sprung solid axle and giving it proper seats being the big ones and it did not increase in price as quickly as the rivals, so it actually started being reasonable value for money.

And then I hired one, whilst on holiday and it was fine, quite charming even. It was withdrawn from the UK market in 1991 I believe but was still sold in many markets, where it was priced similarly to its original UK price, 20 years later. Finally, its simplicity and cost cutting made sense.

Ok this a bit long and rambling. I think it is a cool car but it took a long time to really fulfil the promise of the design as a bargain basement economy car.